Need to see on Netflix – 7 documentaries to watch right now

Having a closer look at the effects of climate change, this documentary takes a deeper look at how coral is being impacted. Photographers, scientists and divers grab their cameras and head underwater, attempting to record the process of coral bleaching. With the message being ‘I have the upmost respect for corals’, you hear about the uses, the beauty and the loss of these underwater worlds. Directed by Jeff Orlowski, the film has grown into a movement. Watch what sparked an urge to save the seas.

A culture fix like no other; David Farrier visits tourist attractions that offer ‘death and destruction’. The New Zealand-born journalist and filmmaker showcases the unconventional ways being used to gain ‘some escapism before going back to your normal, dull existence’. Across the eight-part docuseries, Farrier introduces the people embracing both the phenomenon and the locations at the top of their lists: from haunted forests, to a lake emitting more radiation than Chernobyl. Farrier offers a virtual holiday for those wanting to step out of the mainstream.

‘If you eat food, this is an issue you need to worry about.’ Opening our eyes to what is really being put on our shelves – and who benefits in the process – this six-episode series shines a light on the fish industry, looks at chicken production and investigates where the money is being made when it comes to milk. Without preaching, the documentary shares the impacts on society, the environment and our health. Sharing the views of farmers, the supermarkets and the corporate middlemen; this series answers your questions about what goes in to the commodity of food.

Written and directed by Daniel McCabe, this hour of non-fiction shows the combined battle to improve batteries and make the move towards greener energy. For the energy geek, McCabe details everything from the difference between lithium-ion and flow batteries, to the risks in storing energy in this way. In an age where technological innovation is a daily occurrence, presenter David Pogue highlights where consumers are normally kept in the dark.

While it may not be the most recently filmed docuseries to be shared on Netflix, its five-star reviews mean it should be on your list. Produced and narrated by the one-and-only Sir David Attenborough, the six-part series presents terrestrial wildlife from the viewpoint of the animals themselves. Emmy-winning, Attenborough details the ongoings of the deserts, the cities and remote islands, all with close-up shots that you simply couldn’t capture with your own eyes.

Coupling science and celebrities, GZA, otherwise known as Gary Grice, sets out to meet the ‘innovators who are changing our world’. Previously part of the Wu-Tang Clan, the American hip-hop group, Grice has always had an interest in science. Now he’s living up to his stage title: ‘the Genius’. While the series’ title makes reference to the Clan’s album Liquid Swords, it is a far cry from its usual work. Travelling wherever innovation takes him, Grice intersects with space suits and a new form of submarine. If he were to sum up the 11 episodes, it’s ‘the curiosity of an MC about the works, the studies of engineers and scientists’.

Everyone knew about the first man that walked on the Moon, but what about the women that were due to take that prestigious role? Directed by David Sington and Heather Walsh, Mercury 13 details the testing, and write off of the women that were potentially part of the historic 1961 spaceflight. With 13 women passing the tests – some performing better than their male counterparts – a debate was sparked as to why gender was considered at all; this hour and a half offers you all sides of the debate.

Get the best of Geographical delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to our weekly newsletter and get a free collection of eBooks!

Sign up for our weekly newsletter today and get a FREE eBook collection!